Green-Lighting Buses Could Be Expanded Regionally if Congestion Pricing Passes

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, U.S. Department of
Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, New York City Department of Transportation
Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Executive Director and CEO, Elliot G. Sander toured a pilot program on Staten
Island has that already cut transit travel times along a busy corridor to and
from the Staten Island Ferry 17 percent. This substantial reduction has been
achieved by keeping traffic signals green longer or turning them green sooner as
MTA buses approach. The pilot program, which is called a Transit Signal Priority
(TSP) program, could be expanded throughout the New York Metropolitan region
using funding under the Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) if the Mayor's
congestion pricing is adopted, which would allow the City to receive $354.5
million in federal grant aid.

"This pilot project on Staten Island was paid for with
about $900,000 in federal funds and it's a perfect example of the kind of
transit improvements that we would make with the $354 million that the U.S.
Department of Transportation will provide to New York City if - and only if -
the City Council and State Legislature approve congestion pricing," said Mayor
Bloomberg. "Secretary Peters intends to make that money available to fund other
immediate improvements to our transit system in parts of the city where those
improvements most are needed. They'll encourage New Yorkers who now commute by
car to the proposed congestion pricing zone to instead use mass transit."

"It's not every day you can improve the lives of
millions, finance major new subway and bus projects and protect the environment
with a single vote. Voting for the Mayor's plan and our Urban Partnership
funding is just that opportunity," Secretary Peters said.

TSP technology was installed aboard 300 New York City
Transit buses on Staten Island and at 14 intersections along the critical
2.3-mile Victory Boulevard/Bay Street corridor to and from the ferry terminal in
St. George. The system operates in the ferry-terminal bound direction during the
morning rush-hour period and outbound during the evening rush period, and is
used by 19 bus lines and 49,000 daily passengers.

TSP speeds bus service through traffic-signal controlled
intersections using optical sensors mounted on top of traffic signal arms, which
can detect the signals put out by emitters installed aboard approaching buses
from 150 feet away. The signal is then relayed to the electronic traffic
controller at the base of each traffic signal pole, which can then extend the
length of green signals, or reduce the time it takes for a red signal to return
to green for buses. As part of the announcement, the Mayor and other officials
rode MTA buses equipped with the emitters from the St. George Terminal along
Victory Boulevard to demonstrate the project.

A study by City's Department of Transportation found that
TSP and other signal improvements along the Victory/Bay test corridor reduced
travel times by up to 17 percent-from 11 minutes and 48-seconds to nine minutes
and 54 seconds-when combined with other signal improvements, all without
significant delays on side-streets. The study also found that there would be
even more significant reductions in travel times if TSP is deployed over longer
distances. The City's Department of Transportation plans to install TSP
technology at more than 30 intersections along six miles of Fordham Road in the
Bronx by this summer, and is looking to install systems along Utica Avenue in
Brooklyn, on Union Street, Sutphin Boulevard and Hillside Avenue in Queens, and
Richmond Terrace on Staten Island.

"We are saving up to about two minutes during rush hour
bus trip through this program, and as any Staten Islander knows, two minutes can
be the difference between making or missing that ferry to Manhattan," said
NYCDOT Commissioner Sadik-Khan. "Speeding bus travel and making it more reliable
encourages people to take public transit and is essential to our commitments
under PlaNYC, and it is also a prime example of the kind of investments we can
make citywide with these federal funds available through the UPA."

"The MTA's buses can only go as fast as traffic allows,
which is why we need innovations like this and congestion pricing, which will
speed buses by taking cars off the road," said Elliott G. Sander, MTA Executive
Director and CEO. "Congestion pricing has the added bonus of providing vital
capital funding to keep the system working and growing. It is a win-win for the
8.5 million New Yorkers who rely on our transportation network each day."

The pilot program cost approximately $900,000 and was
funded by the Federal Department of Transportation as part of the Staten
Island-Brooklyn Mobility Enhancement Project. While decreasing travel times, TSP
also serves to improve corridor mobility, reduce traffic congestion, improve
intersection operation, and reduce emissions and fuel use. Rush-hour buses on
Victory Boulevard use curbside bus lanes, which also increase travel speeds and
reduce congestion delays.

Under a TSP system, not every single bus along a route
will be met with a green light. The system can hold a green for an approaching
bus, but the priority signal is automatically suspended when a bus opens its
doors to pick up and discharge passengers. Also, a red signal does not
automatically turn to green when a TSP-enabled bus approaches, though it may
turn to a green signal earlier when a bus approaches, depending on where it is
in the light cycle.